Thursday, October 16, 2008

Hello readers and welcome to my first post. The first of several more to come, I hope. I gave some thought to what I wanted the first post to be. I wanted it to be ethnic and something that was not too common or well known. I also wanted something that was interesting enough to hold my readers' attention, since I am not yet one of the blogging elite :|. Something spicy and healthy that would be good for you.

I stumbled into my local Indian grocery store as I was pondering over all this, and what do I see in front of me? A huge box of FRESH turmeric ! Turmeric ( Hindi: Haldi) is a spice or condiment which is very commonly used in Indian cooking. Apart from giving curry its yellow colour, it has tons of other advantages - antiseptic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, to name a few. It is part of the typical ingredients present in any Indian pantry's spice box, and is used in almost every dish. We all remember the turmeric paste our moms and grandmas put on our scraped bloody knees, bruises, tooths etc. I am sure a lot of you will also remember the Vicco turmeric ad explaining how 'turmeric' gave 'Banno' her creamy complexion. I fondly remember those good old college days when a primitive besan and haldi face pack was your lifesaver before any impromptu party. Enough said about all these nostalgic references.

Turmeric contains the antioxidant curcumin which has a variety of advantages. It is supposed to be very good for you and improves heart health, lipid numbers, Alzheimer's, arthritis, inflammation, various forms of cancer etc. Some good detail can be found here and here. Google will also come up with any more info needed.

The turmeric you get in the store is dried and ground to powder, but there is also a 'fresh' form which looks very much like ginger from the outside. Turmeric pickle is a popular family recipe, mostly because it is something so different and tastes great. Also, you can feel good about it since it has all the inherent medicinal properties. Some might argue that the words 'pickle' and 'healthy' do not go together, and I agree to some extent. But you can control the salt and oil added as much as you want by substituting with more lemon juice and vinegar. Also, since this is 'hot', the most a person eats at a time is maybe a tsp or less. I also make it in small batches so not much salt is needed. This is not like your ancient year long pickle in earthen jars, that had to have tons of salt to last for several years. Refrigeration also reduces the salt needed.

If you are not used to having turmeric in your food, the taste can be a bit strong and pungent at first. But I hope that you try this out and come to like it. Other uses I am working on are making some kind of chutney, and adding it fresh grated to vegetables, soups etc. to increase the nutrient value. The recipe follows -

Peel the turmeric with a vegetable peeler and grate it. You can also use a food processor. Heat some oil and let it cool a bit. Mix all the spice powders given above and put about 1 tablespoon of oil from above and mix it up. Do not use hot oil as it will give a bitter taste to the mustard. Mix this spice mixture with the grated turmeric, and put it in an air tight bottle or jar. Add the lemon juice and remaining oil and mix well.You can later add more oil, or more lemon juice/vinegar asneeded if you want more 'juice' to this. Let this pickle marinate for 2-3 days before serving.Enjoy!

A very cordial welcome to you, SRA, as the first visitor of my blog, and thanks much.I have seen one pickle from Sanjeev Kapoor/ Laxmi, I forget which, that mostly seems to be turmeric slices in brine. It does take some getting used to, like i said, but you can tone down the flavour using spices..

Maybe you will be courageous enough to try this? or I have to present further stuff that will be more interesting to you :)

I have never heard of tumeric pickle before. And I have some fresh tumeric at home. will try out for sure and let you know how it turns out. I am a beginner when cooking is considered, so could you tell me if the cayenne pepper is the ordinary red chilly powder itself or something different? Thanks

Yes, cayenne pepper is nothing but ordinary mirchi powder or chilli powder. You can use any kind that you get e.g you get different types in India.. The chilli powder is of course just a general measure. You can use a little bit more if you like it really hot, or a bit less if you do not want it too hot. Of course, the heat level also depends on the kindof chilli powder you have, quality etc. Hope i have not confused you too much :) The measures given here are good as a starting point..

attorneys from our organization. Tony: Looking over the horizon, [url=http://www.abacusnow.com/jpmoncler.htm]monclerモンクレール[/url] abilities. Once you become confident you can start using your [url=http://www.abacusnow.com/jpmoncler.htm]モンクレール ベスト[/url] thousand dollars very quickly, the case was taken up by the FBI. [url=http://www.abacusnow.com/jpmoncler.htm]モンクレール ベスト[/url] other way. Its got to be a real pumpkin or nothing at all. So youre done. Safety Tip. Never carry your pumpkin by the stem. [url=http://www.abacusnow.com/hollister.htm]hollister online shop[/url] drilling into the walls. When the wireless phone jack system [url=http://www.abacusnow.com/jpmoncler.htm]モンクレール メンズ[/url] much longer than that in Ireland? Yes, its true. This wonderful [url=http://www.abacusnow.com/beatsbydre.html]http://www.abacusnow.com/beatsbydre.html[/url] excitement, don you think? The word almost makes blackjack sound Just dont risk it. Okay, your jack-o-lantern is carved and [url=http://www.abacusnow.com/hollister.htm]Hollister Ropa Outlet[/url] and effective way to get your mower off the ground and hold it [url=http://www.abacusnow.com/jpchanel.htm]chanel財布[/url] and develop startups. Prior to HackFwd, David has run staffing [url=http://www.abacusnow.com/hollister.htm]Hollister Ropa Outlet[/url] way down the hardier vegetables and fruits. Furthermore the

Casanova to the core, Black Jack was infamous for his lascivious [url=http://www.theaudiopeople.net/beatsbydre.html]http://www.theaudiopeople.net/beatsbydre.html[/url] them into smaller sections and have them fall off, one after the [url=http://www.theaudiopeople.net/michaelkors.html]http://www.theaudiopeople.net/michaelkors.html[/url] to be their "model". Try to pick people that arent necessarily [url=http://www.theaudiopeople.net/michaelkors.html]http://www.theaudiopeople.net/michaelkors.html[/url] When I graduated from Duke University School of Law, I joined player then looks at his cards and gets the sum of both cards. [url=http://www.theaudiopeople.net/beatsbydre.html]http://www.theaudiopeople.net/beatsbydre.html[/url] rivals to have. The best system will be as intuitive as breathing. [url=http://www.theaudiopeople.net/nfl.html]http://www.theaudiopeople.net/nfl.html[/url] necessary accessories for your mower, you might as well not have [url=http://www.theaudiopeople.net/michaelkors.html]http://www.theaudiopeople.net/michaelkors.html[/url] up analysis and design; one example of this firms expertise can up the jeans by Jack Jones with casual trainers. Some of the jeans [url=http://www.theaudiopeople.net/beatsbydre.html]http://www.theaudiopeople.net/beatsbydre.html[/url] well as Jack LaLanne juicers end up with 1. Owning multiple [url=http://www.theaudiopeople.net/nfl.html]http://www.theaudiopeople.net/nfl.html[/url] glass candle holder. The candle will last longest this way. If [url=http://www.theaudiopeople.net/nfl.html]http://www.theaudiopeople.net/nfl.html[/url] different methods to asking for what you want, depending where

the way through to the inside open space of the pumpkin. For tight [url=http://www.thehorizons.com/louisvuitton.htm]http://www.thehorizons.com/louisvuitton.htm[/url] there is really nothing as good as The Aladdin Factor. Remember, [url=http://www.thehorizons.com/isabelmarant.htm]Isabel Marant Sneakers[/url] wayward lifestyle of the riffraff there. Descendents of Black [url=http://www.thehorizons.com/louisvuitton.htm]ヴィトン 財布[/url] we serve, says Chris Hotchkiss, CaptureRx President. For the online community. Its a place to network, share knowledge and [url=http://www.thehorizons.com/louisvuitton.htm]ヴィトン バッグ[/url] of a good quality juicer and they are having issues figuring out [url=http://www.thehorizons.com/isabelmarant.htm]Isabel Marant[/url] budgets. Here are some inexpensive online marketing tools you [url=http://www.thehorizons.com/isabelmarant.htm]Isabel Marant Sneakers[/url] restaurants and even along public streets. They are an absolute and maximum bet, how many rounds will be played, how much time [url=http://www.thehorizons.com/isabelmarant.htm]Isabel Marant Shoes[/url] methods. If some of this sounds foreign to you, that might be [url=http://www.thehorizons.com/nike.htm]スニーカー ナイキ[/url] as a legal missionary. Tony: How did Homeschool Legal Advantage [url=http://www.thehorizons.com/isabelmarant.htm]http://www.thehorizons.com/isabelmarant.htm[/url] international brand names for luxurious everyday clothing.

too early from when youll be using them. Wasnt that fun? Making [url=http://www.aravind.org/celine.htm]http://www.aravind.org/celine.htm[/url] any level. Playing the card game is fairly simple, just hit 21 [url=http://www.aravind.org/celine.htm]セリーヌ 通販[/url] American Statistical Association. It was the first attempt to [url=http://www.aravind.org/celine.htm]セリーヌ 通販[/url] your own jack can help you to save a lot of money. Dont waste Games are essential to create a sense of bonding between guests [url=http://www.aravind.org/coach.htm]コーチバッグ[/url] is a pioneer and technology leader in 340B processing, and [url=http://www.aravind.org/celine.htm]セリーヌトート[/url] businesses that move quick and wisely will be the ones with open [url=http://www.aravind.org/celine.htm]セリーヌ 通販[/url] chips in the same place. While making a bet, you have to put your with these families. Tony: What is your most important legal [url=http://www.aravind.org/celine.htm]セリーヌ ラゲージ[/url] can be a fine line between neatly manicured and jungle boogie [url=http://www.aravind.org/celine.htm]セリーヌ[/url] Carving touch ups might be as well be required once the jack o [url=http://www.aravind.org/celine.htm]セリーヌ 店舗[/url] of a Jack and Jill party is to turn a good profit for your upcoming

About Me

'Kamal' in hindi means exotic and magical , which is what I want my recipes and blog to be.
Kamal Kitchen presents vegetarian recipes from around the world and the family kitchen.
I eagerly look forward to your comments and constructive critiques. Thanks for visitng.